The invention relates to a recording and reproducing apparatus and a recording and reproducing method for accumulating a number of music data and holding attribute information of the respective accumulated music data.
Hitherto, what is called a CD changer in which a number of CDs (Compact Discs) are enclosed and the CDs are automatically reproduced has been put into practical use. In the CD changer, tens to hundreds of CDs are enclosed in one box and the CD selected by a predetermined operation is picked up and reproduced. The CD can be reproduced every CD or a plurality of CDs are selected and can be reproduced at random on a disc unit basis or on a unit basis of a music piece recorded on the CD. The CD changer is mainly installed in a home and used.
In the above CD changer, however, since exchange time of CDs is caused, there is a problem that it is difficult to realize a continuous reproduction without interrupting a signal reproduced from the CD the halfway. The CD changer enclosing 100 or 200 CDs has problems such that its box is large and the apparatus itself is heavy and it is very inconvenient when the apparatus is carried and installed.
For example, therefore, an apparatus such that music data recorded on CDs is accumulated into a recording medium such as a hard disk has been proposed. For example, such an apparatus is called a music server and by compression encoding the music data by a predetermined method, the music data of, for example, about 1000 music pieces can be accumulated onto a hard disk having a-memory capacity of a few G (Giga) bytes.
In the music server, the attribute information regarding the respective accumulated music data, for example, information such as music piece title and name of musician can be recorded. The attribute information is recorded automatically or by a user operation in correspondence to the inputted music data. The recorded attribute information is displayed, for example, as a list by a display unit provided for the music server when retrieving the music data stored in the server. On the basis of the attribute information displayed on the display unit, the user can retrieve or select a desired one of the music data accumulated in the music server and reproduce the desired music data of the user. It is very convenient for the user because the desired music data can be retrieved by operating a predetermined key or the like on the basis of the contents displayed on the display unit.
The unnecessary music data is deleted, namely, erased from the recording medium of the server. In this instance, the user can select either a method of deleting the unnecessary music data from the recording medium so that it can never be reproduced therefrom or a method of disabling the unnecessary music data to be temporarily reproduced by saving it into another area or the like. The temporarily saved data can be recovered by a predetermined method and reproduced again.
The user often possesses music data of an amount exceeding an amount of data which can be accumulated in the music server. Similarly, there can be a situation such that although the data was once accumulated in the music server, it is deleted later. The music data other than that accumulated in the music server is managed perfectly independent of the music server. There is, consequently, a problem that even if the user owns the music server, the data other than the music data owned by the user cannot be managed by one server and it is difficult to effectively use the server.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a recording and reproducing apparatus and a recording and reproducing method for storing attribute information with respect to not only music data which is accumulated onto a recording medium and can be reproduced but also data which has already been accumulated.
To solve the above problems, according to the invention, there is provided a recording and reproducing apparatus comprising: memory means for storing supplied data and attribute data of the supplied data; a recording and reproducing unit for writing the supplied data into a storing unit and reading out and reproducing the data written in the memory means; and control means for allowing the attribute data of the data shifted into an unreproducible state where the reproduction by the recording and reproducing unit is impossible in the data stored in the memory means to be stored into the memory means.
According to the invention, there is provided a recording and reproducing apparatus comprising: memory means for storing supplied data and attribute data including status data indicative of a status of the supplied data; a recording and reproducing unit for writing the supplied data into the memory means and reading out and reproducing the data written in the memory means; and control means for controlling the operation of the recording and reproducing unit on the basis of the status data stored in the memory means.
According to the invention, there is provided a recording and reproducing apparatus comprising: memory means for storing supplied data and attribute data of the supplied data; a recording and reproducing unit for writing the supplied data into the memory means and reading out and reproducing the data written in the memory means; and control means for controlling the operation of the recording and reproducing unit on the basis of the attribute data stored in the memory means and collating with the data stored in the memory means on the basis of at least the attribute data of the supplied data when the supplied data is newly written.
According to the invention, there is provided a recording and reproducing method of a recording and reproducing apparatus having a storing unit in which supplied data and attribute data of the supplied data are written, comprising the steps of: collating with the data stored in the storing unit on the basis of at least the attribute data of the supplied data when the writing of the supplied data into the storing unit is selected; controlling the writing operation of the supplied data into the storing unit on the basis of a collation result; and rewriting the attribute data of the data read out from the storing unit when the data stored in the storing unit is read out from the storing unit and supplied to another equipment and stored therein.
As mentioned above, according to the invention, the supplied data and the attribute data of the supplied data are stored into the memory means. By the recording and reproducing unit, the supplied data is written into the memory means and the data written in the memory means is read out and reproduced. The attribute data of the data shifted to an unreproducible state where the reproduction by the recording and reproducing unit is impossible in the data stored in the memory means is stored into the memory means by the control means. Therefore, the data shifted to the unreproducible state where the reproduction by the recording and reproducing unit is impossible in the data stored in the memory means can be known by the attribute data of the data.
According to the invention, the supplied data and the attribute data including the status data showing the status of the supplied data are stored in the memory means. The supplied data is written into the memory means and the data written in the memory means is read out and reproduced by the recording and reproducing unit. The operation of the recording and reproducing unit is controlled by the control means on the basis of the status data stored in the memory means.
According to the invention, the supplied data and the attribute data of the supplied data are stored into the memory means. The supplied data is written into the memory means and the data written in the memory means is read out and reproduced by the recording and reproducing unit. By the control means, the operation of the recording and reproducing unit is controlled on the basis of the attribute data stored in the memory means and, when the supplied data is newly written, it is collated with the data stored in the memory means on the basis of at least the attribute data of the supplied data.
According to the invention, there is provided a recording and reproducing method of a recording and reproducing apparatus having a storing unit in which supplied data and attribute data of the supplied data are written, comprising the steps of: collating with the data stored in the storing unit on the basis of at least the attribute data of the supplied data when the writing of supplied data into a storing unit is selected; controlling the writing operation of the supplied data into the storing unit on the basis of a collation result; and rewriting the attribute data of the data read out from the storing unit when the data stored in the storing unit is read out from the storing unit and supplied to another equipment and stored therein.